Systematic Arthroscopic Treatment of Synovial Chondromatosis of the Knee

Arthroscopic Management of Complex Knee Pathologies in a 45-Year-Old Male: A Case Report

Knee disorders can present in various forms, often involving complex pathologies. The diagnosis and management of these conditions can be challenging, particularly in the absence of associated trauma. A 45-year-old male with a history of chronic right knee pain and clicking presented after failure of conservative treatment modalities. Imaging of the right knee identified multiple pathologies, including a ligament sprain, bone marrow edema, lateral maltracking of the patella, and advanced chondromalacia patella. Following these findings, the patient underwent arthroscopic surgery. A rare lateral meniscal cyst in the anterior horn was found during the surgery. Debridement, irrigation, and excision of the cyst were performed. Following the surgery, the patient experienced successful symptom resolution. Opting for arthroscopic surgery post other method failures can enhance patient outcomes.

Excision of Intra-articular Knee Heterotopic Ossification Using a 70° Arthroscope

Heterotopic ossification is ectopic lamellar bone formation within soft tissue and can result in significant functional limitations. There are multiple underlying etiologies of HO including musculoskeletal trauma and traumatic brain injury. Intra-articular HO of the knee is rare and is typically located within the cruciate ligaments. We report a case of a 24-year-old female who presented with worsening right knee pain and limited knee extension two and a half years after a motor vehicle crash with multiple lower extremity fractures. Physical examination of the knee revealed anterior pain, limited extension, and a palpable infrapatellar prominence. Imaging showed a retropatellar tendon, intra-articular excrescence of bone proximal to the anterior tibial plateau. Diagnostic arthroscopy with a 70° arthroscope identified HO at the proximal anterior tibial plateau, which was excised with a high-speed burr under direct visualization. At the three-month follow-up, the patient remained asymptomatic and returned to sport. Retropatellar tendon, intra-articular anterior knee HO is a rare but debilitating clinical entity that can be successfully and safely managed with excision under direct visualization using a 70° arthroscope.

Arthroscopic Synovectomy and Removal of Loose Bodies in Synovial Osteochondromatosis of the Knee

Synovial osteochondromatosis is a benign process that most commonly affects the knee joint (70%). It is characterized by proliferative metaplasia of synovial membrane into chondrocytes, resulting in the formation of multiple cartilaginous nodules, which can detach from the synovium to become multiple intra-articular loose bodies. It usually involves the anterior compartment, including infrapatellar fat pad, suprapatellar pouch, and anterior interval, and rarely involves the posterior compartment of the knee. Treatment for synovial osteochondromatosis usually involves surgery, especially in the presence of locking symptoms or decreased range of motion. Arthroscopy has gradually replaced a traditional open approach, resulting in low morbidity, low postoperative pain, better cosmetic results, early recovery of range of motion, short rehabilitation course, and an early return to previous function. In case of involvement of the posterior compartment of the knee joint, arthroscopic access may be difficult. In this Technical Note, the technical details of arthroscopic synovectomy and removal of loose bodies in synovial osteochondromatosis of the knee is described. This arthroscopic technique can deal with the disease, involving both the anterior and posterior compartments of the knee joint.

De Novo Synovial Chondromatosis following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report

In this case report, we present a rare case of a female patient who developed pain and swelling after a total knee arthroplasty. An extensive diagnostic workup including serum and synovial testing to rule out infection was performed in addition to advanced imaging including an MRI of the knee, but it was only after an arthroscopic synovectomy that the diagnosis of secondary synovial chondromatosis was confirmed. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the occurrence of secondary synovial chondromatosis as a rare cause of pain and swelling after total knee arthroplasty, thereby assisting clinicians in providing prompt diagnosis, surgical treatment, and efficient recovery in the setting of secondary synovial chondromatosis after total knee arthroplasty.

Chondroid Tumors: Review of Salient Imaging Features and Update on the WHO Classification

Chondrogenic tumors are typically well recognized on radiographs, but differentiation between benign and malignant cartilaginous lesions can be difficult both for the radiologist and for the pathologist. Diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical, radiological and histological findings. While treatment of benign lesions does not require surgery, the only curative treatment for chondrosarcoma is resection. This article (1) emphasizes the update of the WHO classification and its diagnostic and clinical effects; (2) describes the imaging features of the various types of cartilaginous tumors, highlighting findings that can help differentiate benign from malignant lesions; (3) presents differential diagnoses; and (4) provides pathologic correlation. We attempt to offer valuable clues in the approach to this vast entity.

The use of posteromedial portal for arthroscopic treatment of synovial chondromatosis of the knee: a case report

BACKGROUND

The synovial chondromatosis is an uncommon proliferative metaplastic process of the synovial cells that can develop in any synovial joint. An isolated primary chondromatosis of the posterior compartment of the knee is uncommon and few cases are reported in literature. Our purpose is to describe a rare case of primary chondromatosis of the knee posterior compartment and report the arthroscopic loose bodies excision through a difficult posteromedial portal, avoiding the use of the accessory posterior portal, most commonly reported for approaching this disease.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a rare case of a 35-year-old Caucasian male patient with diagnosis of chondromatosis of the posterior knee compartment. The radiographs showed multiple loose bodies of the posterior compartment. The MRI revealed minimal synovial hypertrophy areas, multiple osteophytes in the intercondylar notch, and loose bodies in the posteromedial compartment. The CT allowed us to assess the bony structures, the morphology of the intercondylar notch, and the presence osteophytes of the medial and lateral femoral condyles. The CT images were crucial to plan how to reach the posterior compartments of the knee through a trans-notch passage. The patient underwent arthroscopic surgery using anteromedial, anterolateral, and posteromedial portals. The tunneling through the intercondylar osteophytes was performed to allow the arthroscope to pass trans-notch. To avoid additional accessory posterior portals, we used a 70° arthroscope to better explore the posterior knee compartment. The cartilage-like bodies were removed and synovectomy of the inflamed areas was performed. The clinical and radiological follow-up was 12 months and the patient showed excellent clinical outcomes, returning to his activities of daily living and sport activity.

CONCLUSION

Our case report highlights the importance of the arthroscopic approach to treat synovial chondromatosis, despite the involvement of the posterior compartment of the knee. An optimal preoperative imaging allows to plan for the proper surgical procedure even in patients with severe osteoarthritis. Moreover, the adoption of an intercondylar notch tunneling and a 70° arthroscope can help surgeons to better explore the posterior knee compartment, avoiding an accessory posterior trans-septal portal. Therefore, a synovectomy of the inflamed foci may be useful to prevent recurrence.

Extensive Synovial Chondromatosis of the Knee Managed by open radical synovectomy: A Case Report with review of literature

Introduction

Synovial chondromatosis of the knee is an unusual, rare, benign metaplastic neoplasm of the synovium, characterized by the formation of focal cartilaginous nodules in the synovium. It predominantly involves the anterior compartment of knee and extensive, disseminated involvement is rarely reported. Diagnosis is usually established with clinicoradiological imaging and confirmed by histology. The paucity of literature on the management of synovial chondromatosis puts an orthopedician in dilemma regarding the optimal surgical intervention.

Case Report

We report a case of 50-year-old male who presented with severe pain and swelling in his left knee associated with functional incapacitation. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated diffuse proliferation of synovium with mild effusion displaying multiple, disseminated calcific nodules. We managed the case by open removal of loose bodies and radical synovectomy through combined anterior and posterior approach. At 4 years follow-up, there are no clinical or radiological signs of recurrence.

Conclusion

Extensive involvement of the knee with calcific nodules is extremely rare. Treatment is controversial which usually includes removal of loose bodies combined with an open or arthroscopic synovectomy. Our case report recommends single stage, open retrieval of loose bodies combined with radical synovectomy to decrease the incidence of recurrence in extensive synovial chondromatosis. To the best of our knowledge, disseminated synovial chondromatosis of the knee, managed by open, combined approach, has been reported only once in the literature.

Primäre synoviale Chondromatose

Hintergrund

Die primäre synoviale Chondromatose (SC) ist eine seltene Erkrankung der Synovialmembran unklarer Ätiologie. Der aktuelle Wissensstand zu dieser Erkrankung soll in einer kurzen Übersicht dargestellt werden.

Methoden

Übersichtsarbeiten und rezente Fallberichte zur SC wurden systematisch ausgewertet und mit Daten eigener Fälle in Kontext gesetzt.

Ergebnisse

Auf Grund neuer genomischer Daten wird die SC als benigne Neoplasie eingestuft. In 60 % der Fälle liegen Mutationen im Fibronektin-1-Gen (FN1) und/oder im Gen für den Activin-A-Typ-II-Rezeptor (ACVR2A) vor. Diagnoseweisend ist die Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) und die meist arthroskopische Biopsie der Synovia. An einem Fallbeispiel soll gezeigt werden, dass die Knorpelaggregate der SC radiologisch nicht immer schattengebend sein müssen. Differenzialdiagnostisch kommen Monarthritiden anderer Ursachen, andere Gelenk- und Muskelerkrankungen mit Mineralisierung sowie weitere von der Synovialmembran ausgehende Erkrankungen in Betracht. Die Entartungsrate liegt bei 2–4 %. Therapeutisch hat sich in den letzten Jahren das arthroskopische Vorgehen durchgesetzt, das an die Ausdehnung der Erkrankung adaptiert wird.

Schlussfolgerung

Genomische Untersuchungen sowie Fallserien und Fallberichte aus jüngerer Zeit werfen ein neues Licht auf die SC. Therapeutisch wird in jüngeren Arbeiten überwiegend arthroskopisch vorgegangen.